As the RHASS Director for Aberdeenshire, Sarah wants to play an active role in keeping rural businesses thriving and is a passionate supporter of local Scottish produce.
We caught up with Sarah to find out about her life and work in the sector.

Can you tell us a summary of your career to date?
From 1998 to 2004, I was a beef and fish buyer for Safeway, and after that, I was the head of Tesco’s local sourcing for 11 years. These roles gave me the opportunity to promote the buying of locally sourced Scottish produce, and I still do this on a freelance basis, sourcing local food for different business, including Brakes. Initially, career was as a farmer in Aberdeenshire, which is something I still do and love.

What is your history with RHASS?
Farming has always been in our family, for generations and working alongside RHASS allows me the opportunity to ensure other rural businesses can have the same longevity. I was a one year director in 2013-2014, as well as being involved with the RHASS Presidential Initiative when it was in Aberdeenshire in 2009 and 2017.

In what way is RHASS still relevant today?
Food and farming are always going to be an essential part of society, so the work that RHASS does will remain relevant as long as agriculture does. We need to work hard to keep our agricultural and rural businesses thriving, and the support that RHASS gives is vital to continued success. We also need to keep encouraging consumers to learn about out where their food comes from at source. RHASS is pivotal in the role in that it helps foster the connection between consumers and primary food producers.

What advice would you give someone interested in becoming involved with RHASS?
RHASS is a tremendous society to be involved with, and Scotland is exceptionally fortunate to have this growing membership organisation. We always encourage people to help in any way they can and being a director is one way in which you can make a difference. It is the role of directors to ensure we keep the charity connected and relevant to the agriculture industry across Scotland and to ensure RHASS remains a leading voice in Scottish agriculture.

If you want to know more about how to get involved with RHASS and how we can help you, don’t hesitate to get in touch.